ArchDaily takes a closer look at the contemporary architecture landscape in Peru. Some of these buildings have become staples of Lima but others are off the beaten path and deserve the trip to visit them.
In recent years, both local and international architects have created buildings in Peru that not only serve as public spaces but are a sight to behold. The website ArchDaily highlights ten buildings in Peru that use the country’s cultural roots, history, and diverse landscape to reimagine how materials are used and spaces are experienced. Here is their list:
1. A Room for Archaeologists and Kids – Pachacamac
This simple yet unique structure is made out of materials such as tornillo wood, sourced from Peru’s rainforest, and woven caña (sugar cane). White cloth covers the box-like structure, designed to provide a shaded space for archaeologists while at the same time allowing students and community members to observe and participate in activities. The building won the 2019 architecture project of the year and small building award from Dezeen.
2. Plaza Biblioteca Sur – La Molina, Lima
This substantial building with an imposing wooden panel at one end sits within a park and is surrounded by schools and residential buildings in the Lima district of La Molina. The public library is meant to be a space where the community can partake in activities both inside and outside, while also providing areas for quiet reading and study.
3. UDEP Building – Piura
This circuit of buildings for the University of Piura (UDEP) can be found amid a forest of algarrobo trees. The carob plant is typical of the northern region and the idea was for this modern facility to feel like an extension of the land—and no doubt a refuge from the sun and dry heat.
4. Lima Convention Center – San Borja, Lima
Built in 2015, Lima’s first convention center fills a void that the city had for a space to hold large-scale events and conferences. The building is comprised of 18 halls and balcony space that allows for grandiose views of the city. The building is located in Lima’s “cultural hub” next to the National Library, Museo de la Nacion, and Gran Teatro Nacional theater hall.
5. Plaza Cultural Norte – La Molina, Lima
This cultural public space in La Molina is characterized by its attempt to merge with the green landscape that surrounds it. The concrete walls share space with green vegetation that emerges from the building, and the rooftop is also adorned with pasture.
6. PUCP Science, Engineering and Architecture Library – San Miguel, Lima
The building’s long and jagged edges give it an imposing presence amongst the other buildings that make up the PUCP campus. The structure’s open space, high beams and large windows allow for light to be reflected in unexpected ways. The color and texture are meant to be a reference to Peru’s pre-hispanic past.
7. Engineering and Technology University (UTECH) – Barranco, Lima
Located right at the entrance of Barranco if you’re coming from Lima’s Via Expresa or the Costa Verde expressway, the large UTECH university building forever altered the district’s landscape. Yet, the ten-story structure is meant to mirror its surroundings, acting as a concrete cliff opposite the iconic cliffs that make up Lima’s coastline. Green spaces are scattered within the structure, allowing for continuation of the natural landscape of the area.
8. Pachacamac Site Museum – Lurin
Meant to live in harmony with the archeological structures of Pachamac, the museum’s architecture is an ode to the pre-hispanic building complex. Various buildings connected by ramps and walkways allow for the museum to feel like a natural extension of the landscape.
9. Place of Memory, Tolerance and Social Inclusion – Miraflores, Lima
As a place for historic and cultural remembrance, the architects behind the project wished to echo the cliffs on which it resides, using boulder rock as material for its creation. The building sits right next to the offramp from the Costa Verde highway yet its high walls protect the building’s open space – designed for community building – from the noisy traffic.
10. Site Museum of Paracas Culture – Paracas
The museum is located within the Paracas National Reserve. As a “site” museum, the building aims to harmonize with its desert landscape and also integrate aspects of the pre-hispanic cultures that roamed the area. The geometry of the walls as well as the reddish color of its material, pozzolan cement, mimics the geometry of the pre-hispanic ceramics which are also on display inside.
Cover photo: BARCLAY&CROUSSE
